Rice University once was landlord
of The House That Ruth Built
After '62, Yanks never won a pennant during Rice's tenure of ownership
Rice has become the owner of an interesting collection of real estate holdings, over the
years--a result of donations from alumni and other supporters. Among the property at one
time owned by Rice include the land upon which the Johnson Space Center stands, and a
sundry assortment of mansions owned by wealthy, eccentric Rice benefactors. None of
them was more distinctive, or unusual, than The House that Ruth Built. Yes, amazingly,
Rice once owned it.
The Institute had acquired the venue from 1927 alumnus John Cox, who had acquired all
of the capital stock of the stadium holding company in 1955. In 1962, Cox donated it to
his alma mater, claiming it was theirs to have and hold, "lock, stock and
barrel." Actually, Rice was in an unlikely partnership with the Knights of
Columbus in that regard, because, while the Institute owned the stadium itself, the
Knights owned the real estate underneath it.
In 1962, the Rice tenant won its second, consecutive World Series. Rice held onto the
property after that for nine years--during which time the Yankees never again won a
pennant; never played in a World Series. (Was there some kind of Rice Sports Jinx at
work there?) The City of New York acquired the property by eminent domain in 1971,
prior to the major remodeling job that was put into the stadium. Rice readily
acquiesced, to the tune of a $2.5 million condemnation fee. For the Institute,
apparently, owning Rice Stadium was stadium enough.
For details, see:
The
House that Ruth Built--the House that Rice owned
(The Rice Thresher)
History of
Yankee Stadium
Virtual tour of
Yankee Stadium
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